21 October 2008
Download this release as a PDF
Note that you may need to download PDF reader software to view or print this.
View additional media releases
Public Affairs Coordinator
media@questacon.edu.au
02 6126 2216 or 0439 399 912
Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre continues to celebrate its 20th anniversary year with the opening of a new exhibition.
The exhibition from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is the latest in a series of events to celebrate Questacon’s 20th anniversary and explores Japan’s role in space exploration.
Visitors to the exhibition will discover the role of the asteroid explorer ‘Hayabusa’. Hayabusa launched in 2003 and is tasked with the first mission to collect and return samples from an asteroid. JAXA believes the mission will provide some answers to mysteries of the solar system. Hayabusa is scheduled to return to earth in 2010; landing in the Woomera desert in South Australia.
“Questacon is delighted to host this exhibition as part of our 20th anniversary celebrations. Visitors to the JAXA exhibition will gain an insight into Japan’s role in aerospace exploration and research. “This exhibition, and further upcoming events, provide an opportunity to celebrate our 20th anniversary and strengthen Questacon’s ongoing collaborative relationship with Japan,” said Questacon Director Professor Graham Durant
The JAXA exhibition also examines the role of ‘Kaguya’ Japan’s first lunar explorer. Kaguya launched in September 2007 and is gathering information on all aspects of the Moon’s composition including geography, gravity, surface and subsurface structure and remnants of its magnetic field. The mission forms part of the largest lunar exploration project since the Apollo program.
JAXA places emphasis on educational activities to promote interest in space, the Earth and life itself. JAXA aims to inspire interest in future space development, space science and aviation technologies in Japan as well as throughout the world. The exhibition at Questacon closes on Friday 7 November.
Questacon opened in 1988 as a joint Australia-Japan Bicentennial Project. The Japanese Government and business community contributed half the cost of the building, the hub for Questacon’s national and international activities.